Thumbtack extractor



P 1951 I. THOMPSON 2,568,835

THUMBTACK EXTRACTOR Filed Sept. 2'7. 1949 INVENTOR.

[RA L. 7H0MPso/v BY v Patented Sept. 25, 1951 ZTUN'VITIED STATES"rATeNrf OFFICE QIra L. Thompson, Houston-,QTex.

Application September 27, 1949, Serial No.]118,070

' aoiai'ms. (erase-'21.)

, 1 Y This invention relates to a thumb tack extrao tor, and moreparticularly to a novel thumb-tackextracting device having provision forremoving a thumb tack or the like and means for'restrain- "ing theremoved tack in "a container.'

4 It is an object of this invention to provide'a thumb-tack-extractingdevice of the kind to be more particularly described hereinafter, havinga receptacle for" containing thumb tacks before application for use andfor collecting thumb tacks immediately upon removal from engagement witha board or the like. I

Still another object of this invention is to pro- ;vide a device of thiskind-Which is 'formed'as a handy manual tool for both pressing thumbtacks into engagement with a board or the like and operable also as ahand tool for readily removing thethumb tacks; l

' A further object of this "invention "is to provide a combinedthumb-tack-applying and removing "tool which is readily operable-byonehand of a 'user for pressing the'tack into a selected tackreceiving'work piece and also ior removing the tacks by manipulation of onehandofthe user, thus preventing the customary use and breakage offingernails or the necessity of separate driving and removing tools.With "the use of thistool in removing a thumb tack,- the tack isimmediately confined within the collecting receptacle as it' is drawnfrom the member within which it had been penetratingly engaged. 7

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed'in thedrawings, and specification, and then more' particularly pointed'out'inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a thumb tack tool constructed accordingto an embodiment ofmy invention, shown in its use as a hammerfor'driving a thumb tack into a work piece;

Figure 2 is a top plan view; v Figure 3 is a side elevation, partlybroken away and partly in section;

Figure 4 is a front elevation; partly broken away and partly in section;Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing, in detail, thehinged connection of the spring-pressed top or cover;

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section,showing the tool applied as an extractor;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, detail, perspective view of the tack-engagingedge of the front wall of the container. I

" Referring to the drawings, the numeral l0 designates generally athumb-tack-applying and-re moving or extracting tool constructedaccording to an embodiment of 'my invention. The tool I0 is used asa-compo'site or combined tool to obviate the necessity for the use ofseparate tools in applying and removing thumb tacks, and obviously willpreclude the possibility'of damaging or injuring-ones fingernails inremoving thumb tacks and the like from a board or work piece with whichthe thumb tack T has been penetratingly engaged. e

The tool H is formed with asubstantia'llycubi cal receptacle .H open atthe upper endthereof having a handle 12 fixed on one end wall thereof.The receptacle H is formed witha bottom rectangular floor or wall M, arear end wall 15 extending perpendicularly upwardly from the rear edgeof the bottom wall I4, and a front end wall l6 extending perpendicularlyupwardly from the front .edge'of thebottom Wall l4 substantiallyparallel to-the rearend wall I5. A pair of longitudinally-extending sidewalls I! are fixed to or formed on the bottom wall I 4 and engage attheir opposite ends with the respective side edges of the front and reartransverse Walls IE and I5, respectively. The bottom, side and end wallsdefinea substantially cubical receptacle ll open on the upper sidethereof.

The handle 12 is fixedly secured to the rea .end wall. [5 adjacent theupper transverse edge thereofin'amanner whereby the'receptacle mayconstitute a hammer head or mallet for driving thumbtacks T into adrawing board B, or other suitable member adapted to penetratinglyre'ceive theth'umb' tacks; Generally; however, the tack 'I wiljl bepressed into the work piece by the finger pressure of an-operator *onthe top of the receptacle 1 l.

(For removably securing the thumb tack T on the receptacle I L'asuitable magnet -l8"is fixedly secured on the forward end of the bottomwall icon the lower side thereof. The magnet I8 is formed with a concavelower side!!! for smoothly engaging the conventional convex headIHof thethumb tack T. When 'thetack T is drawn intoengagement withthev face 19of the magnet l8, theengagement of the convex head H with the concaveface 19 will providefor the ready positioning of the tack T at aselected angle to be engaged into the work piece B. When the point P ofthe tack is penetratingly engaged in the board B, the tool I0 may bereadily disengaged from the tack by the application of an upward spacedapart at their upper ends defining a tackreceiving passage within whichthe shank of the tack will be received when it is desired to remove thetack from the board B. The jaws 2| and 22 Iclaim:

1. A tack tool comprising a hollow receptacle having a bottom wall,opposing upstanding side walls and an upstanding front and rear wall, ahandle projecting outwardly from the rear wall for swinging saidreceptable, an upwardly divergent V-shaped notch formed on the upperedge of the front wall thereof for extracting a tack from a workpiece,the lower edge of the front wall forming a fulcrum about which thereceptable is swung by the handle to extract a tack from a workpiece anda spring urged closure pivotally mounted at one end on the upper edge ofthe will be slidably engaged between the lower'side of the tack head Hand the board B, with the shank disposed downwardly alongfthe cut-out asfar as possible. pivotal movement of the handle I2 about the rear bottomcorner of the container II as a fulcrum will lift the jaws upwardly andpull the tack T from the board B.

V -A cover plate 24 ispivotally mounted on the rear end of the containerI I for closing the upper open side thereof. The closure 24 is formedwith a horizontal, top, flat plate 25 overlying th upper edges of theside and end walls. A flange 26 depends from the front and side edges ofthe plate 25 and overlies the outside surface of those walls in theclosed position of the cover 24. The flange overlying the front wall I6partially closes the notch 20 and completely closes the upper open endthereof, in the closed position. A transverse pivot or hinge pin 21 isengaged through the rear ends of. the flange 26 and through the upperrear ends of the sidewalls H for hingedly mounting the cover forswinging from an open to a closed position. A spring 28 is coiled aboutthe pin 21 and one end of the spring engages the upper edge of the rearwall I5, while the other end engages the lower side of the plate 25rearwardly of the pin for biasing the cover to a closed position.

- When the extractor I I] is used as such, the cover is initiallyopened, as noted in Figure 6 of the drawings, while the jaws 2| and 22are engaged under the tack to be pulled. As the cover is biased to theclosed position when the tackis drawn from the board B, the cover willconfine the snapping 'or suddenly-released movement of the tack to theinterior of the receptacle, thus limiting the uncontrolled flying of thetack'and precluding the necessity for a search for the drawn'tack afterit has been removed from 'a board'B." Y

A handle bar 29 is fixed on the closure plate 25 and extends rearwardlyand normally upwardly inclined over the handle I2. The bar 29 extendsupwardly and rearwardly from the hinge pin'21, whereby, upon swingingthe bar 29 into overlying, abutting, or closely-overlying relation tothe handle I2, the cover II will be swung to the open position. Thespring 28 will normally bias the cover I I closed and the handle bar 29to rearwardly-divergent relation to the handle I2.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of constructionherein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview ofthe appended claims. V I

A rearward or downward.

rear wall and adapted to form an upwardly and outwardly swingable upperwall for the receptacle for confining an extracted tack within thereceptacle as it is-being extracted.

2. Atack tool comprising a, hollow receptacle having 'a bottom wall,opposing upstanding side walls and an upstanding front and rear wall, ahandle projecting outwardly from the rear wall for swinging saidreceptacle, an upwardly divergent V-.-shaped notch formed on the upperedge of the front. wall thereof for extracting a tack from a workpiece,the lower edge of the front wall forming a fulcrum about whichthe'receptacle is swung by the handle to extract a tack from a workpieceand a spring urged closure pivotally mounted at one end on the upperedge of the rear wall and adapted to form an upwardly and outwardlyswingable upper Wall for the receptacle for confining an extracted tackwithin the receptacle as it is being extracted, said closure having anactuator for moving it to an open position projecting outwardlytherefrom and overlying the handle. a

3. A tack tool comprising a hollow receptacle having a bottom wall,opposing upstanding side walls and an upstanding front and rear wall, ahandle projecting outwardly from the rear wall, an upwardly divergentnotch formed vertically in the upper, edge Qf'the front wall forextracting tacks froma workpiece, the lower edge of the front wallforming a fulcrum about which the receptacle is moved by the handle, anda closure pivoted at one end to the upper edge of the rear wallrforswinging movement upwardly and outwardly from the receptacle, resilientmeans normally retaining the closure in a closed position on thereceptacle to form a top wall therefor, and an angular handle extendingfrom the closure and overlying the handle for swinging the closure to anopen position as a tack is being extracted to form a baflle fordirecting the extracted tack into the receptacle.

-' IRA LPTHOMPSONZ- REFERENCES ,C'ITED I i The following references areof record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Mar. 20, '1935

